Drying machine



F. L. FURBUSH DRYING MACHINE Nov. 18,1924 1,515,671

Filed June 14. 1923 Patented Nov. 18, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK L. FURBUSH, OF WESTFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO C. G. SKARGENTS i SONS CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

DRY-.ING MAcHrn n.YA

Application Lled .Tune 14, 1923. Serial No. 645,478.

To aZZ whom t may concern:

Be itk-nown that I, FRANK L. FURBUSH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Westford, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Drying Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a machine for dr ing wool, or other fibrous material.`

he principal objects of the invention are to provide Vfor improved circulation kof air through the drier in co-operation with means for controlling the air currents so that a portion of the heated air can be returned to the coil box to be reheated and used over again or all of the air allowed to go straight out after it has been used once; and to provide for regulating the amount delected back so that the proportion between the two currents can be changed at the will of the operator and also to provide means adapted to be adjusted to control the direction of the currents of heated air into the chamber against the material for drying. More specically, the latter 'arrangement preferably consists of a series of adjustably hinged baille plates yfor divertingthe currents of heated air from the coils toward the material to be dried and adjusting them in such a way that this can be accomplished in a greater or less degree, as desired, to get an even distribution of air through the stock. n

*Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanyin drawings, in whichig. 1 is an elevation of the drying chamber side of a drier constructed in 'accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the opposite, that is the coil box, side of thedrier; and

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the same through the centers of one inlet fan and the exhaust fan.

I have shown the invention as applied to a drying machine having a general well known form and comprising a casing 10 at the ends of which are located a pair of drums 11 for supporting and driving an endless wire cloth conveyor 12 for supporting the stock to be dried. In this type of drier the stock is applied to the conveyor at one end and passes through the drying machine to be dried and is discharged at the other end. But the invention can be applied to other types of driers The conveyor is located in'an inner chamber preferably separated from the rest of the drier by a perforated horizontal screen 13 above it. This screen when used is employed to retain the stock in the compartment in which the conveyor is located and it runs alongthe drier above the conveyor.

As usual,'there is means for heating the air on oneside of the drying chamber and in this caseI 4have shown two such coil boxes 14 having steam ipes 15 for heating the incoming air whic enters through an inlet openlng 16 at thelbottom. This air passes up through the coils and is drawn through them by a pair of fans k17 although any other convenient number of fans can be employed. This heated air is then blown along under an inclined partition18 down through the screen 13 and through thematerial on the travelling wire 12 for the purpose ofi removing the moisture from the material. In its normal course, the air, when it leaves the material, is full of moisture and is drawn out through an opening 19 into the discharge passage 20. If a damper 21 therein is open, as shown,` it will be drawn up through this passage by the exhaust rfan 21 and outr of the machine along the upper side of the inclined partition 18 through the exhaust outlet 22. r If it is desired to use the air over again or art of it the damper 21 can be closed in the ormer case or partly closed in the latter. Then the air, or part of it, is forced through the ymaterial onthe wireand will back out underneath and go through two open' 23 back into the bottom-of the coil boxinglshis air will be reheated and used over a ain. y

On the bottom of the inclined wal 18 are a series ofpivoted baille plates 25. These are hinged individually on their own pivots which are horizontal. They` are connected together by a rod 26 and a shaft 27 on which one of them `is pivoted extends out at the rear'and is provided with a handle movable 4through a' curved path as indicated at 28.

These baie lates therefore can be swung simultaneous y down or up to direct more or less of the air coming in from the coil boxes downwardly toward the right hand side of the conveyor as indicated in Fig. 3. The adjustment of these bafile plates is for the urpose of getting an even distribution o air through the stock and preventing all of it from coming through on one side. Being located on an inclined surface, they are very effective for this purpose,

With a machine constructed in this way an even distribution of the heated air can be obtained along the stock from side to side and the air can be circulated in the manner described so that any desired portion of it can be returned to the coil box to be reheated and used over again. This provides for elticiency and economy of operation to a high material to be dried, and a heating device at one side thereof, the device having an outlet at the other, of an inclined partition extending over the supporting means located at a distance from it at one side and close to it at the other, means above the conveyor for blowing the air from the to of said heati device and in under sai partition an toward the conveyor, and means for drawing the air out at the bottom of the-drier below both strands of the conveyor.

2. In a drier, the combination with an endless apron for supporting the material to be dried, anda chamber in which it is located, of a coil box located at one side thereof for heating air, a blower for introducing the air so heated from the top of the coil box above both strands of the apron and through them, the chamber having means by which the air can escape at either side of the conveyor below the lower strand, one of said means being connected with the coil box, a blower for exhausting the air from the other side, and a damper in the conduit to the last named blower adapted to be adjusted to control the amount of air that can go to the blower, whereby the remainder of the air will be forced to go back into the bottom of the steam coils and be reheated.

3. In a drier of the class described, the

combination with an endless conveyor for supporting the material to be dried, a coil box at one side thereof, and an outlet at the other, of an inclined partition extending over the conveyor located at a distance from it at the coil box side and close toit at the other, a blower for forcing the air in under said artition and toward the conveyor, a second blower on the other side of the conveyor for drawing the air out at the bottom of the drier below the conveyor, and a horizontal screen over'the conveyor and under said partition for preventing the stock from being blown out of the compartment in which the 'conveyor is located.

4. In a drier, the combination with an endless apron for supporting the material to be dried, a coil boxfat one side of the apron for heating the air, a blower for forcing the air from the coil box toward the apron, and an inclined wall over the apron extending from a point near the apron on one side to a point materially above it on the other, of a series of bafile plates located on thevunder side of said partition and adjustable to different angles for the purpose of controlling the direction of vthe air currents toward vthe apron.

5. In a drier, the combination with a suport for the material to be dried, a heating ldevice at one side of the support for heating the air, and a blower for forcing the air `from the heating device toward the support,

of an inclined wall over the support extending from a point near the support on yone side to a point above the blower on the other, wherebythe air is delivered downwardly from the blower toward the material, a series of pivoted-baiiie plates on the lower side of said partition extending1 toward said support, and means for s'un taneously adjusting said bams plates about their pivots,

whereby the direction in which the air from the blower strikes the material will be controlled for the purpose of distributing the air evenly on the conve or.

6. In a drier, the com ination with a support for the material to be dried, means for blowin a current of heated air over it, a series of aiile plates located over the support, and means for adjusting the angular position of the baiile plates to control the distribution of air currents through the material to be dried.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

FRANK L. FURBUSH. 

